
at times, He had not wherewith to satisfy His hunger, and was
obliged to search for food.
One may wonder why Jesus should return to Jerusalem in
the morning hungry, since He had lodged at Bethany, the home
of Lazarus and his sisters, with whom He often stayed. But
seemingly He did not pass the night at their home, for "The De-
sire of Ages," page 58s, says, "The entire night Jesus spent in
prayer, and in the morning He came again to the temple."
2.
"The cursing of the fig tree was an acted parable. That
barren tree, flaunting its pretentious foliage in the very face of
Christ, was a symbol of the Jewish nation. The Saviour desired
to make plain to His disciples the cause and the certainty of
Israel's doom. For this purpose He invested the tree with moral
qualities, and made it the expositor of divine truth. The Jews
stood forth distinct from all other nations, professing allegiance
to God. They had been
,
specially favored by Him, and they laid
claim to righteousness above every other people. But they were
corrupted by the love of the world and the greed of gain. They
boasted of their knowledge, but they were ignorant of the re-
quirements of God, and were full of hypocrisy. Like the barren
tree, they spread their pretentious branches aloft, luxuriant in
appearance, and beautiful to the eye, but they yielded 'nothing
but leaves.' The 'Jewish religion, with its magnificent temple, its
sacred, altars, its mitred priests and impressive ceremonies, was
indeed fair in outward appearance, but humility, love, and benevo-
lence were lacking."ā"The
Desire of Ages," pp, 582,
5
8
3
.
"The warning is for all time. Christ's act in cursing the tree
which His own power had created, stands as a warning to all
churches and to all Christians. . .
ī
In the sentence pronounced
on the fig tree Christ demonstrates how hateful in His eyes is
this 'vain pretense. He declares that the open sinner is less
guilty than is he who professes to serve God, but who bears no
fruit to His
-
glory."āId.,
p.
5
8
4
.
3.
Here is an illustration of the kind of reasoning that has
respect to selfish interests only, that seeks to avoid a trap while
pursuing a wrong course. It is right to reason. Faculties of
mind* are given us for that use, but our reasoning is not to be
such as darkens and weakens faith. When we reason with the
Lord, let our reasoning not be Pharisaical, seeking to justify self,
but let it be rather that which seeks to determine how we and the
Lord can come together, and be fully reconciled.
4.
"Scribes, priests, and rulers were all silenced. Baffled and
disappointed, they stood with lowering brows, not daring to press
further questions upon Christ. By their cowardice and indecision
they had in a great measure forfeited the respect of the people,
who now stood by, amused to, see these proud, self-righteous men
defeated. . . . Many of those who had anxiously awaited the
result of the questioning of Jesus, were finally to become His
disciples, first drawn toward Him by His words on that eventful
38